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Saskatchewan Lawyer News

Saskatoon police officer submits a not guilty plea to obstruction of justice

Posted Nov 20, 2014 on globalnews.ca

Saskatoon defence lawyer Brad Mitchell has submitted a not guilty plea for his client, Const. Steven Nelson, who has been accused of trying to obstruct justice.

Nelson, a member of the Saskatoon Police for nine years, allegedly misplaced a statement made in a case of domestic violence.

It has been said however, that Nelson is not familiar with any person involved in that domestic case, wherein a charge has already been filed.

Mitchell said the charge that his client is facing is a serious one and will severely affect his employment.

With the not guilty plea, Nelson is expected to stand trial for two days in April.

Following the filing of the charge in October, Nelson is on suspension but with pay.

Judge finds military veteran not criminally liable for bomb threat

Posted Nov 19, 2014 on cjme.com

Timothy Steven Harris, a military veteran, was found to have no criminal responsibility in the email that he sent to social workers which stated "there is a bomb in the building."

Following the receipt of the email, the building which houses social services was emptied of employees while police searched for the bomb mentioned in Harris' email. However, they found nothing.

Harris testified that he had mistakenly worded his email. That he thought he wrote "the bomb is in the building," the word bomb in reference to himself and the word building referring to his growing issue with the social services.

The judge believed in the mental defence mounted by Jane Basinski, a defence lawyer in Saskatoon, because Harris is suffering from schizophrenia.

Harris admitted that he had not taken any medication at the time he penned the email.

The veteran sent the email because he got miffed with the social services' non-response to his earlier emails inquiring why he was not reminded of his annual review.

Basinski is asking for an absolute discharge for Harris while the Crown attorney wants conditions set to keep the public safe.

The review board will make a decision after a hearing to be held within a month and a half.

Man admits to aggravated assault

Posted Nov 19, 2014 on cjme.com

Danton Cole McKay will be spending two years in jail less a day after submitting a guilty plea to aggravated assault.

McKay had admitted to stabbing a man several times after he saw him fighting with his sister. Court also heard that he was drunk during the incident.

McKay was able to plead guilty to a lesser charge because the stab wounds he inflicted on the victim were superficial, said Stinson.

The lawyer added that the victim also did not want to have anything to do with the case.

Man convicted of child pornography, faces more charges

Posted Sep 18, 2014 on www.thestarphoenix.com

More charges have been filed against Justin Gryba, who was convicted and sentenced of charges related to child pornography last year.

This after the police was finally able to open his hard drive which had a military-grade encryption.

The new charges he is facing are making and possessing child pornography and voyeurism.

Gryba was a multi-awarded youth volunteer but things changed when a search in his home resulted to the discovery of pornographic materials as well as the hard drive, which police could not open at that time.

He pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child pornography and was handed a less than two-year sentence.

However, the threat of more charges to be filed had always loomed for Gryba as the police had been working hard at breaking open his hard drive which they believed contained more pornographic images.

The hard drive was finally opened in July, prompting the new charges.

Saskatoon defence lawyer Morris Bodnar had said back then that the hard drive was difficult to access and that not even Gryba could open it.

A visa would make it easier for adopted foreign children to get to Canada

Posted Aug 28, 2014 on www.thestarphoenix.com

It has been a year ago since the Halstead legally adopted a baby boy named Seth from Congo but they have yet to see him in person.

Since the adoption, the couple have been working hard to bring Seth, who is now one-year-old to Canada, but they are caught in the middle of immigration policies between their country and Congo.

Immigration officials of Congo have refused to issue an exit permit for Seth pending the issuance of a Canadian visa.

Canada immigration officials, on the other hand, have refused to give Seth a visa not until Congo can produce the exit documents.

After serving her conditional sentence, Pare will be made to undergo probation for a year and a half.

National defence expresses desire to settle sex assault claims

Posted Mar 16, 2015 on www.vicnews.com

London litigator Phillip Millar and lawyers of the Justice Department are working together after the Department of National Defence said it wanted to settle the claims made by eight women who alleged they were sexually assaulted by the department's medical technician.

According to the victims, they were subjected to a breast examination wherein they were touched inappropriately by James Wilks.

Wilks had denied the claims of the women and that he had done the examinations according to the standard procedure.

In 2013, several women including four of the five who have filed a claim, brought their complaints against Wilks in a court martial wherein he was convicted for several counts of breach of trust and sexual assault. The military judge gave his nod to proof that the victims, all under 40, did not have to undergo the breast examination.

He was sentenced to two years and six months which he hasn't started serving yet because he has appealed the conviction.

It was not the first time that Wilks has been convicted by a court martial because in 2011, he was also handed a nine-month sentence after he was convicted of charges of the same nature.

Millar said his clients are happy that the National Defence wants to go for a settlement.